There was an hour on the clock when England rugby boss Stuart Lancaster turned to Freddie Burns.

He looked at the 22-year-old, a fly-half without a cap to his name – then at the opposition, the world champion All Blacks.

He cleared his throat and gave the instruction. Lancaster had no doubt Burns was up to the task. And neither did the player.

“I’m naturally very confident and I always have been,” said the Gloucester star, who marched onto the ­Twickenham turf and calmly kicked two penalties to close out a famous England win.

“At the top level you can’t doubt yourself, especially in the fly-half ­position. Everyone looks at you to be the guy who calls the shots, who runs the game. If you have doubts or fears it’s going to go through the team.”

Burns insists he felt none when Lancaster gave him the nod that momentous afternoon at ­Twickenham.

“I saw it as a great opportunity rather than a daunting prospect,” he explained.

“I went out telling myself to leave nothing in the changing room – to channel all the ­positive emotions I’ve had with Gloucester into a big performance.”

This has been a year associated more with England’s other young fly-half. Owen Farrell steered the national team to second in the Six Nations and was shortlisted for World Player of the Year.

But 2013 could very well belong to Burns. “England are looking for ­creativity and Freddie has the game they are desperate to play,” Dean Ryan, who signed Burns from Bath Academy when he was Gloucester coach, said recently.

He has been electric this season for the Cherry and Whites, who go into today’s home game with Exeter lying fifth in the Premiership and unbeaten in Europe. “I think we’ve taken everyone a little bit by surprise with how quickly we’ve turned things round from last year,” said the Bath-born ace.

Burns was never one to waste time. By the age of six he was playing and, according to dad Jerry, making quite an impression.

“It was his awareness around the pitch,” said Burns snr. “From a young age he could spot things other people didn’t see.”

It helped growing up in a rugby-mad house with three brothers – Jack, Sam and Billy – and a 54-year-old father who all still play.

“Me and my brothers are all backs and dad’s a second row,” said Freddie. “I don’t know where we got our skills from – unless mum was a decent player when she was little!”

Twice this year he has been voted Premiership player of the month and he went into the All Blacks game with Mirror columnist Matt Dawson among those hoping he would start.

Burns, who signed a contract ­extension with Gloucester in the spring, insists there is still “a lot more to come from me”.

He added: “What Owen has achieved at his age is incredible, the guy’s got nerves of steel.

“I’m a slightly different player to Owen, but hopefully he and I can push each other and bring the best out of each other.”